Forest ecosystem value equals to 10 trillion yuan: experts
- Source: Global Times
- [03:41 May 21 2010]
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By Deng Jingyin
The contribution that China's forest ecosystem has made to environmental protection has been calculated as having a value of 10 trillion yuan ($1.5 trillion), or about one-third of the nation's GDP, according to a report issued Thursday by the State Forestry Administration and the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF).
The experts calculated the value based on several criteria including water conservation, soil conservation, carbon fixation, oxygen released and biodiversity conservation. A higher value means the forest performed better in various environmental aspects, such as absorbing carbon.
Zhang Shougong, head of CAF, said that it is the first time that China has evaluated its nationwide ecosystem services.
"Forests are one of the most important ecosystems in the world, which is essential for human beings to face global climate change. It is of fundamental significance for us to do such research, " said Jiang Youxu, a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences and also researcher at the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
For example, forests will conserve 494.7 billion cubic meters of water, equal to the capacity of 12 Three-Gorges Reservoirs when its water level reaches 175 meters, and it can create a value of 4.6 trillion yuan.
"What's more important, the forests are able to fix carbon for a long time. If we don't burn wood, forest can fix carbon it absorbs," Jiang said.
Carbon fixation is the process through which carbon dioxide is converted into a solid compound, mostly referring to the processes found in organisms that produce their own food and usually driven by photosynthesis.
Currently, the amount of carbon stored in the forest is approximately 7.8 billion tons.
The report also said that the total amount of biomass, a biological material derived from living organisms, such as wood, hydrogen and alcohol fuels, is about 15.7 billion tons and, of which about 60 percent are concentrated in southwestern and northeaster China.
"Oak, Chinese fir, poplar, mason, white birch and larix are the six dominant tree species, with 40 percent biomass," Jiang said.
People believed that the value of the forests could only be maximized through logging, without knowing about forests' other contributions.
Evaluating the contribution of forests to the environment is necessary in order to let people understand the importance of the ecosystem, the report said.
"The evaluation makes contributions for improving carbon circulation and slowing down climate change, which also proves that China is a country with responsibility," Zhang said.
President Hu Jintao vowed at the UN Climate Change Summit last year to increase 40 million hectares of forest by 2020 to maintain the country's ecosystem security and deal with the global climate change.
